Raphael Soyer
American, born Russia, 1899 - 1987The Dancer, ca. 1955
Not on view
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions21 1/16 × 17 9/16 in. (53.5 × 44.6 cm)
Image: 15 1/2 × 10 3/4 in. (39.4 × 27.3 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harold L. Frank, 1977.36
Born in Tombov, Russia, Raphael Soyer was brought to New York City in 1912. As children he and his twin, Moses, and younger brother, Isaac, were encouraged to draw by their parents. All three went on to become professional artists. As youths, the brothers worked in factories and sold newspapers to make a living. Raphael received his training from Cooper Union, the National Academy of Design, and the Art Students League.
Throughout his career, Raphael Soyer portrayed the daily life of New York's 14th Street and Lower East Side: Bowery bums, working girls, shoppers, dancers, seamstresses, and other "ordinary" people were his favorite subjects. Soyer also created a great number of self-portraits, perhaps more than any other American artist since Charles Wilson Peale.
